This invention relates generally to endoscopes and more particularly to such instruments which have a flexible shaft and a deflectable end portion controlled via a mechanism at the proximal end.
Endoscopes are used in various medical and industrial applications for viewing unaccessible interior features of cavities, tubes or conduits, such as body organs. The present invention is particularly concerned with endoscopes of flexible and small outside diameter shafts of less than 0.15 inch, useful, for example, as ureteroscopes, hysteroscopes, angioscopes, choledochoscopes, and cystoscopes.
The prior art is replete with endoscopes which incorporate an end portion which can be deflected, by a user, via a control mechanism at the proximal end of the device. Such endoscopes are characterized by various structural configurations which enable a user to control the deflection of the distal tip of the end portion through an angle from approximately 0 degrees to 180 degrees. The following patents are examples of endoscopes having a deflectable tip:
______________________________________ 4,653,476 Bonnet 4,580,551 Siegmund 4,577,621 Patel 4,353,358 Emerson 3,788,304 Takahashi ______________________________________
Other structures are shown in the following additional patents:
______________________________________ 3,426,663 3,948,251 4,483,326 4,616,630 3,470,876 4,063,796 4,503,842 4,617,915 3,572,325 4,066,070 4,503,843 4,630,598 3,610,231 4,175,545 4,543,090 4,633,882 3,726,272 4,176,662 4,557,253 4,646,722 3,788,304 4,178,920 4,557,254 4,650,467 3,799,150 4,203,430 4,561,427 4,651,202 3,799,151 4,245,624 4,566,437 4,651,718 3,856,000 4,271,845 4,567,882 4,653,476 3,880,148 4,277,168 4,557,621 4,676,228 3,892,228 4,294,233 4,586,923 4,685,449 3,897,775 4,446,444 4,593,680 4,686,963 3,915,157 4,447,227 4,601,705 ______________________________________